University of Iowa Health Care faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend an investiture ceremony honoring Michael Tansey, MD, at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, in the Urmila Sahai Auditorium (room 2117) in the Medical Education and Research Facility (MERF).
Tansey will receive the Gary D. Hughes Professorship in Pediatric Endocrinology established in memory of Kevin J. Smith.
Gary D. Hughes Professorship in Pediatric Endocrinology
Tansey is a clinical professor and vice chair for faculty development in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics. He also serves as clinical director of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes in the Carver College of Medicine. His research focuses on the use of diabetes technologies, including continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps to improve outcomes in children with Type 1 diabetes. Published in more than 60 manuscripts, Tansey’s work has contributed significantly to understanding glycemic control, exercise physiology, and neurodevelopment in pediatric diabetes. He is also a passionate educator who has taught and mentored medical students, resident physicians, and fellow physicians since 2001. His teaching spans clinical instruction, case-based learning, and curriculum development.
About the donor
Gary D. Hughes was diagnosed with polio at the age of 9 years old and spent four months at what is now known as UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Three years later, the Iowa City native was involved in a farm accident that left his left side paralyzed. Thanks to a special brace designed by the late Arthur Steindler, former orthopedic surgeon in the UI Department of Orthopedics, Hughes later regained full use of his arm—an experience that shaped his lifelong gratitude. He spent more than 20 years in law enforcement, including 16 as Johnson County Sheriff, and became police escort for football coach Hayden Fry in the 1980s.
When Hughes, his brother, and his nephew were each diagnosed with diabetes, he sought a way to create a healthier future for others affected by this devastating disease. Inspired by a conversation with longtime friends Kirk and Mary Ferentz, Hughes pledged $1 million to Stead Family Children’s Hospital in 2017 to establish the Gary D. Hughes Professorship in Pediatric Endocrinology. His gift is dedicated to easing the burden of children living with diabetes and helping researchers find a cure.
For more information about the Sept. 4 investiture ceremony, contact Mackenzie Krob, director for events, health sciences, at the UI Center for Advancement at mackenzie.krob@foriowa.org.